Page 136 of The Silent War

You don’t split a soul and expect the other half to keep walking.

The elevator stopped. Doors opened.

The penthouse was pitch black. Silent.

No motion triggers. Even the climate system dead, like the whole place had been cut off.

I slipped a hand to my side holster. One gun. One knife. One twin.

“Luca?”

Every footstep echoed, too loud, like I was walking into the kind of silence that didn’t want to be broken.

My chest locked. Then, dark red. Low across the wall by the master suite. I lowered the gun without even knowing it, fingers shaking as I stepped closer.

Please, don’t let it be his blood.

I turned the corner, and saw him.

Slumped against the bed. Shirt torn open, soaked through. One hand braced on the frame, the other pressed to his ribs. His head dipped forward, too heavy to lift.

He wasn’t unconscious. Just… stopped. Like he’d tried to get up, then decided against it.

“Luca.”

No answer.

I crossed the room in seconds, dropped to my knees. “Luca, look at me. Hey.”

His head tipped up. Eyes unfocused. But when they landed on me—really landed—something broke.

He shook his head faint, like he couldn’t believe I was real.

“I didn’t think, Bas.” His voice slurred. “I didn’t fucking think.”

My chest locked.

His hand slid from his ribs and brushed my arm. His whole body dropped forward, slow and heavy, and I caught him before he hit the ground.

His forehead hit my shoulder.

“I fucked up,” he choked. “So bad. I always knew I would.”

“Stop.” My voice cracked. “I don’t care what happened. I don’t care.”

He didn’t answer. Didn’t look at me.

“We handle it. Together. Like always.”

“But what if I broke it?” His voice was quiet. “What if this time I can’t fix it?”

“Then I’ll fix it,” I snapped. “That’s the deal. That’s always been the fucking deal.”

He shook against me. Like he’d fought the whole world and still lost.

I caught his hand. Laced our fingers. Pressed my other palm flat against his chest, firm. Forcing him to feel.

My hand shook, but I pressed harder. Better he feel it as strength than know how close I was to breaking.